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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643870">i'll love you forever</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterInWonderland/pseuds/WriterInWonderland'>WriterInWonderland</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tales of the ones who love [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Established Relationship, He has a nightmare, M/M, Safe Haven (Maze Runner), featuring their cat athena, newt tries to read but thomas distracts him, so they run through the rain, there's a storm</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 05:35:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,200</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27643870</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterInWonderland/pseuds/WriterInWonderland</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I love you,” whispers Thomas. “And I always will.”<br/>“That’s a big promise, Tommy.”<br/>“For you, it’s not big enough.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Newt/Thomas (Maze Runner)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>tales of the ones who love [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974244</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>i'll love you forever</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <span>The months worth of rain that fell upon the safe haven that evening had been a long time coming, if Newt was honest. After weeks of scorching sun, it was a relief when the first few grey clouds had formed up above, with the promise of a break from the almost unbearable summer heat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What they hadn’t prepared for, however, was the onslaught of water that was thrown down from above, as if the Gods themselves had decided to tip literal buckets over their heads. It had been almost comical, the way that everyone had run for shelter and stayed there, dripping wet, with the hope of waiting it out even though it became evident pretty quickly that the rain wasn’t going to stop anytime soon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A storm was upon them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It fell dark soon after that, with grey clouds consuming the sunlight and spreading out across the safe haven for as far as the eye could see. The wind picked up, and everyone retreated, albeit a little forlornly, to their huts for the rest of the evening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So now, as the storm rages on, Newt lies with his head in Thomas’s lap as his hair is played with, enjoying the time they have to themselves. Well, them and their little tabby cat, Athena, who sleeps peacefully on the end of the bed, entirely undisturbed by the storm outside. She’s become part of the family, now, and Newt finds it hard to imagine this place without her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s grateful that they have a hut to themselves so they can get a bit of peace and quiet, and not have to deal with any of Minho’s whining about how much Athena hates him. More often than not, Minho likes to complain about how she looks like she’s plotting his murder, and how his best friends always seem to take her side over his. It’s funny how much Athena dislikes the noise Minho brings with him, and the way she stalks off whenever he enters their hut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(After knocking, because Vince got them a lock on popular request.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her evil eyes are frightening, but seem to be reserved for Minho alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt rolls off Thomas’s lap after a while and reaches for the book that had been gifted to him by Vince, positioning himself on his stomach in between Thomas and Athena. A grumble of distaste comes from Thomas’s direction when he realises Newt's head isn’t about to return to his lap, but he tries to ignore it and focus on the words on the page. Reading is something he’s not used to, considering the extreme lack of material back in the Glade, but it’s something he’s grown to love after borrowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Alice In Wonderland’</span>
  </em>
  <span> to read from their friend Ash, and now </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Little Women’.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It feels like the perfect kind of storm activity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except, Thomas doesn’t seem to agree:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh Newt,” he whines. “You can’t just go into your own little world and leave me here all alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt glances up from the pages as he tries to suppress a smile. “Actually, I can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s so mean,” Thomas says with a pout. “What am I going to do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can play with Athena or something, I don’t know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he glances towards the sleeping form of their cat, he knows that Thomas is going to refuse his suggestion. Waking Athena is like asking for a death wish. Newt would know; he’s experienced the cold shoulder from their little cat when he’d had to move her off a hoodie that she’d been sleeping on, and he’s witnessed the evil glares she gives Minho when he raises his voice and wakes her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>To his surprise, Thomas doesn’t complain again so he returns his focus to the March sisters and allows the steady thrum of the rain against their hut to lull him into a state of tranquillity. Somewhere in the distance, he can hear the vague sound of music and the occasional laugh coming from the huts nearby, and Newt wonders whether their friends have grouped together to get through the storm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe they’ll join them a little later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The mattress shifts ever so slightly, and soon Thomas is lying on his front directly beside Newt, their sides pressing flush together and heat pooling. It’s not distracting at first, because Thomas begins to read over his shoulder and he tilts the book slightly so he can see the pages properly. But after a while, Newt can feel Thomas’s eyes on him and is about to tell him to stop staring when he feels a warm press against his neck, and every word he’s thought about saying dies on the tip of his tongue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tommy,” he murmurs as small kisses are placed along his neck, towards the place behind his ear. His body melts against Thomas’s as he tilts his head back to allow more access to his neck and his eyes flutter closed, the book completely forgotten in his hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever Thomas is trying to do is working.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Thomas,” </span>
  </em>
  <span>he whispers slightly breathlessly, though he isn’t exactly sure what he’s trying to say here. The feeling of Thomas’s lips against his skin is turning his thoughts to mush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it babe?” Thomas murmurs between kisses, like he </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows </span>
  </em>
  <span>what he’s doing and wants to find the point in which he breaks what’s left of Newt’s self restraint. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Which is very little, he’s kidding nobody.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should—”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever sentence he was trying to construct is cast into oblivion when he feels the deliberate swipe of Thomas’s tongue just behind his ear, and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>snaps. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Within a split second, he pushes Thomas onto his back and is pressing their mouths together, and he no longer cares about his book or the storm outside because they’re writing their own story now; creating their own storm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They always have. And they always will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kisses they share are gentle and unrushed, unlike the desperate moment of craved contact that saw Thomas flipped onto his back, because they have the rest of their lives for this. To simply exist, together, and have that be enough.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thomas smiles into the kiss and Newt finally breaks away, giving Thomas some space to breathe after pressing him into the mattress. “I won,” says Thomas, his eyes never leaving Newt’s despite the smirk that’s currently residing on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you on about?” Newt asks, still breathless from the kisses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You stopped reading,” says Thomas as he slowly traces a hand up Newt’s side, finding bare skin which causes his body to shape and contour to the touch, as if Thomas is a magician and Newt is under his spell. “I won.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt’s not certain that either of them really lost, considering the circumstances, but okay Thomas. Whatever makes you happy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you cheated,” he says, snatching up one of Thomas’s wandering hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You used neck kisses, that counts as cheating.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thomas narrows his eyes, “I don’t remember seeing that in the rule book.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well it’s in there,” says Newt, releasing Thomas’s hand in favour of lying his head down on his chest. “You just didn’t look properly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, babe,” Thomas says with a kiss to the top of Newt’s head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s not sorry. Neither is Newt.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>★★★</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt wakes with a start to the sound of an echoing clap of thunder, his heart pounding in his chest as the remnants of a nightmare float before his eyes. It’s completely dark and Thomas is clearly still asleep beside him, undisturbed by the crash that emanated from the heavens, his even breaths calming Newt down to some extent. He allows his head to fall back against the pillow, and he curls into Thomas’s warmth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s not unusual for either of them to wake from a nightmare in the middle of the night, usually waking up the other and having to talk it out before either of them can fall back to sleep. But it’s always different when Newt wakes up without having woken Thomas.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The nightmare he has is recurring, where he begs Thomas to kill him because he’s submitted to the flare, and there’s no cure to save him from going insane. Except Thomas doesn’t do it. As much as Newt begs him, he doesn’t do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s terrifying to experience a life that never was; a life of infection and anger where there’s no chance of getting better. But even worse, he thinks, is what he almost made Thomas do. Newt tried to beg him to end his suffering, but he knows it would have killed Thomas all the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the dark of their hut, Newt can still see the rough outline of Thomas’s features, though he’s never needed light to really see him. It sends waves of reassurance through him to see the tranquillity of sleep across his boyfriends face, as if that’s reminder enough that their world had righted itself just in time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt loves him. He loves him with everything he’s got and everything he doesn’t yet have. To love and to be loved in return is a beautiful thing, and Newt is honoured that he gets to experience it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Thomas slowly shifts onto his side and his eyes flutter open, squinting at Newt through the darkness. “You’re awake,” he whispers, his voice deep and still sounding more than half asleep. “You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt reaches out and laces their fingers together, squeezing gently. “Yeah, I’m okay. Just a nightmare.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mhm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thomas tilts his head up to place a kiss on Newt’s forehead, and that action alone speaks all the words that matter, and provides a promise that the life Newt has nightmares about is a life that never was and never will be. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not in this universe. Not ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another distant rumble of thunder echoes through the night, and Thomas smiles at the sound, as if a thought has just made a home inside his head. “Want to do something stupid?” he asks with a glint in his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How stupid?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stupid enough to take your mind off the nightmare,” says Thomas, reaching to run his fingers through Newt’s hair, pushing it out of his eyes from where it had fallen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt can’t help but smile. “Is it safe?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course. I wouldn’t have suggested it if it isn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then go ahead. Let’s do something stupid.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something stupid, as it turns out, has Newt trailing after Thomas through the pouring rain, hand in hand as they try not to giggle too loudly when passing the other huts. The hood of his raincoat is pulled up over his head and tightened around his chin, though he can still feel the raindrops sliding off his nose and into his eyes as they run. Any thoughts about the nightmare are extinguished and replaced by an overwhelming sense of freedom, where running through the rain in the direction of the ocean are the only things that matter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It might be stupid, but Newt will be damned if it’s not one of the most liberating things he’s ever done. Following Thomas anywhere has always managed to save him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” asks Newt, slightly breathless from the sudden burst of exercise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thomas throws a smile over his shoulder, “You’ll see. We’re almost there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He leads them towards where the base of the cliff meets the beach, illuminated purely by the moonlight creeping out through the layer of dark clouds which still insist on drenching them with rain. Eventually they circle around and reach an exposed indent to the cliff, like a tiny cave with rocks lining the ground, facing out to the expanse of ocean. Thomas pulls them inside and out of the pouring rain, a reprieve from their battle against the elements. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You good?” Thomas asks with a smile, lowering his hood and wiping the rain drops from where they’d settled across his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt nods and takes a moment to breath, enjoying the taste of salt on his tongue and the wind through his hair. He isn’t sure how or when Thomas found this place, but it’s beautiful. Thomas comes to stand beside him and he takes his hand, gazing out into the storm beyond this little cave. The moonlight manages to break through just enough for the ocean to shimmer with broken shards of dancing light as the waves crash onto the shore. The way the rain ripples the ocean and cascades across every wave is a spectacle of its own, and Newt finds himself in adoration of how alive everything feels.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” whispers Thomas. “And I always will.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s a big promise, Tommy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For you, it’s not big enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything is so alive, and it’s exhilarating. It steals the breath from his lungs and makes the blood rush through his veins, and one glance towards Thomas proves that he feels it, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re alive, alive, alive, and it’s everything he’s ever wanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you too,” he says. “I’ll love you forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And to think that they almost missed out on this. They almost didn’t get this chance to experience life, together, to its fullest beauty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Newt has never been more grateful to be alive.</span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i hope you loved this as much as i do!<br/>feel free to leave a comment or come say hi on <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/view/newtswonderland">tumblr</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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